Automobile engine heater



Sept. 6, 1955 J. M. GUTHRIE AUTOMOBILE ENGINE HEATER Filed Jan. 8, 1955E .I RE 2 .1 m MH W m6 M S E M A J ATTORNEYS.

United States Patent AUTOMOBILE ENGINE HEATER James M. Guthrie,Pittsburgh, Pa.

Application January 8, 1953, Serial No. 330,271

7 Claims. (Cl. 21938) My invention relates to motor cars, and consistsin certain new and useful improvements in an electrical device forheating the motors of such cars in cold weather, to facilitate startingand to prevent the motor lubricants from becoming too viscous.

In the past various devices have been proposed for this general purpose,but all of such prior devices have been too costly to construct andinstall, and did not admit of the ready connection to an electric supplyline. In accordance with my objects the device of this inventionobviates the objections to prior devices.

in the drawings, an exemplary embodiment of the invention isillustrated:

Fig. l is a fragmentary view of the front end of a modern motor car,showing a portion of the hook broken away and illustrating an electricalheating device of the invention applied in service position upon themotor of the car;

Fig. 2 is a view to larger scale than Fig. 1, showing the heating devicein plan;

Pig. 3 is a sectional view of the heating device, as seen in the planelllli.l of Fig. 2, and showing fragmentarily in side elevation anelectrical extension cord for use therewith;

Fig. 4 is a view in bottom plan of the resistor unit included in theheating device;

Fig. 5 is a view in plan to smaller scale of a certain insulating diskincluded in the heating device; and

Fig. 6 is a view in plan to the scale of Fig. 5 of a perforate closuredisk that forms the bottom of the heating device' While various deviceshave heretofore been proposed for heating the engines of motor cars incold weather, so far as I am aware no one has provided a simplified andinexpensive device that may be installed readily in the car,

r with an elec ical connectmg device inconspicuously provided at thejoint where the hood of the car fits the car body, with the effect thatthe device may be quickly connected to an electrical supply line anddisconnected without raising the hood or opening the car.

Referring to the drawings the heating device is generally indicated at2, mounted immediately upon the motor 3 of the engine, or in thermalcommunication therewith. As will presently appear, the heating devicecomprises an electrical resistor unit from which a connector cord 4,comprising a pair of electrical lead wires, extends to a plug-in adapter5. The hood 6 of the motor car, being of modern construction, fits thebody of the car in a joint 7, which is a separable joint that permitsthe hood to be readily opened and closed. Advantageously, the connectorcord 4 extends through the joint 7, with the plug-in adapter 5positioned and secured immediately outwardly from the joint, as shown inFig. 1, where it is accessible for plugging-in an electrical extensioncord 8, which may be readily run to the car in its garage, or otherparking place, from an adjacent electrical supply line, not shown.

The resistor unit of the device comprises a heating element 9 (Fig. 4)of coiled Nichrome wire, or the like, con- 'ice tained in a serpentivegroove 10 formed in a disk-like body 11 of porcelain, or other suitablerefractory material, including a system of perforations 30. The body 11has an integral boss 12, through which two contact prongs 13 extend inelectrical isolation from one another, and to the inner ends of suchprongs the two terminal ends of the resistor wire 9 severally areelectrically united, as at 14. The resistor unit (944) is protectedwithin a housing 15 of sheet aluminum, or sheet steel, or other suitableheat-conducting material, and such housing in this case substantiallyencloses the top and side of the unit. The top wall of the housing isperforated, as shown at 16, and the side wall of the housing includes anopening 17, through which the boss 12 extends, whereby the electricalterminals or contact prongs of the heating element 9 are readilyaccessible to an electrical socket member 18 on the connector cord 4.

More particularly, the housing 15 is formed with a peripheral shoulder19, upon which the body 11 of the heater unit is securely seated,leaving an air chamber or circulating space 20 above the body 11. Thefioor of the housing comprises a perforate heat-resisting diaphragm 21,preferably a disk of steel screen, as illustrated, and between suchfloor and the grooved bottom of body 11 a perforated disk 23 of asbestossheet, or other heat-resistant, electrical-insulating material issecured. The edge of the housing 15 is turned inwardly, as at 22, tosecure the parts in the particularly effective assembly shown.

Means for attaching the heating device to the car engine may withadvantage comprise a pliant metal strap 24 pivotally secured, as at 25',to the top of housing 15'. A hole 26 is provided in the distal end ofthe strap, whereby the hood of the car may be raised and any convenientone of the headbolts 27 of the engine 3 may be removed, extended throughthe hole 26, and again assembled in the engine block and tightened,securing the strap to the engine block. The strap 24 is fiexed andshaped, so that the heating device, with the strap held at its distalend by a bolt 27, is secured bottom downward or inward against, oradjacent to, the top or side surface of the engine, depending uponwhether the engine is of straightsix cylinder or V-eight cylinderdesign.

The socket 18 is plugged-in on the contact prongs 13 of the heatingdevice, and the connector cord 4 is extended across or above the motorto a point at which the adapter 5 lies immediately outward of theseparable joint 7 between the hood and the car body. The hood of the caris then closed and secured. The hood may be opened and closed withoutdisturbing the heating device installation.

By virtue of the pivotal attachment of the strap 24 to the housing 15,the body of the heating device, while secured in mounted position, maybe turned on the axis of the pivot, whereby the contact prongs 13 may bepointed in the direction in which clearance is had between the variousspark plugs and headbolts, etc. of the engine for the ready attachmentor detachment of the socket member 18, and for the passage of the cordin desired manner above the engine and between engine parts to the joint7.

With the adapter 5 positioned as shown, socket element 28 on theextension cord 8 may be readily plugged in, whereby electric energy willbe supplied to the resistor element 9 of the heating device. Theenergized resistor element is heated to incandescence, radiating and conducting heat to the body of the engine 3, with the desired results. Inextremely cold weather the heating device may be energized all nightlong, or as long as the car is in the garage or parked. On the otherhand the heating device may be energized for only an hour or more beforeit is desired to use the car. Indeed, the extension cord may include atime switch 29 that may be set automatically to close the energizingcircuit say at 5 a. m., or any other 3 hour that precedes by therequired interval the time when the car is to be used.

In service air many circulate through the perforate fioor 21, theperforate insulating disk 23, the perforate body 11, the air chamber 23and the perforate top of the housing 15, whereby the desired release ofheat from the device is augmented, and the danger of the overheating andfailure of the heating element 9 is avoided.

The device described provides a simplified and practical solution of theproblem to which my invention is directed. Within the terms of theappended claims various modifications are permissible without departingfrom the essence of the invention.

i claim:

1. A heating device for a motor car engine covered by a hood fitted tothe ar body in a separable joint, said heating device comprising ahousing, an electrical resistmice heater unit supported in said housingand arranged to be mounted in thermal communication with the said motor,a pair of insulated electrical leadwires extended from said heating unitand passed through and secured in said separable joint, and anelectrical plug-in adapter connected to the outer ends of said leadwireson the outside of said hood and immediately adjacent to said joint.

2. A heating device for a motor car engine covered by a hood fitted tothe car body in a separable joint, said heating device comprising ahousing, an electrical resistance heater unit supported in said housingand arranged to be mounted in thermal communication with the said motor,a securing strap secured to said housing and extended therefrom andclamped by a head-bolt of said engine for securing said heating devicein mounted position, a pair of insulated electrical leadwires extendedfrom heating unit and passed through and secured in said separablejoint, and an electrical plug-in adapter connected to the outer ends ofsaid leadwires on the outside of such hood and immediately adjacent tosaid joint.

3. A heating device for a motor car engine comprising a body ofrefractory material including a serpentive groove from whichperforations open through such body, an electrical resistor wireextending in said groove between two terminals, a heat-conductinghousing covering said refractory body on its top and side and includingan air chamber, together with a perforate floor for the housing beneathsaid body, the perforations in said floor providing in conjunction. withthe perforations in said refractory body avenues for the circulation ofheat-conducting air currents immediately over said resistor wire.

4. A heating device for a motor car engine comprising a body ofrefractory material including a serpentive groove from whichperforations open through such body, a pair of contact prongs adapted toreceive an electrical socket, an electrical resistor wire extending insaid groove and being secured at its opposite ends to said prongs, ahousing covering said refractory body on its top and side, with anaccess opening for said prongs, and a perforate floor for the housingbeneath said body, the perforations in said floor providing inconjunction with the perforations in said refractory body avenues forthe circulation of heat-conducting air currents immediately over saidresistor Wire.

5. A heating device for a motor car engine comprising a body ofrefractory material including a serpentive groove from whichperforations open through such body, a pair of contact prongs adapted toreceive an electrical socket, an electrical resistor wire extending insaid groove and being secured at its opposite ends to said prongs, aperforate housing covering said body on its top and side, with an accessopening for said prongs, a perforate floor beneath said body, theperforations in said floor providing in conjunction with theperforations in said refractory body avenues for the circulation ofheat-conducting air currents immediately over said resistor wire, and asecuring strap secured to and extending from said housing.

6. A heating device for a motor car engine comprising a body ofrefractory material including a serpentive groove from whichperforations open through such body, a pair of contact prongs adapted toreceive an electrical socket, an electrical resistor wire extending insaid groove and being secured at its opposite ends to said prongs, ahousing covering said refractory body on its top and side, with anaccess opening for said prongs, and a perforate floor for the housingbeneath said body, together with a perforate disk of insulating materialbetween said body and said floor, the perforations in said floorproviding in con junction with the perforations in said refractory bodyavenues for the circulation of heat-conducting air currents immediatelyover said resistor wire.

7. A heating device for a motor car engine covered by a hood fitted tothe car body in a separable joint, said heater comprising a housed diskof refractory material having a recess, an electrical resistor extendingin said recess between two terminals, said housing having a perforatefloor adapted to be positioned adjacent the body of said engine andincluding an access opening for said terminals, a connector cordincluding circuit wires leading from said terminals and extendingthrough and secured in said separable joint, and an electrical plug-inadapter secured to the outer end of said connector cord on the outsideof said hood and immediately adjacent to said joint, whereby the hood ofthe car need not be lifted for plugging in the installed heating deviceto an electric supply line.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,242,687 Harth Oct. 9, 1917 1,832,578 Peard et al. Nov. 17, 19311,881,068 Bates Oct. 4, 1932 1,943,144 Richardson Jan. 9, 1934 1,970,075Buckland Aug. 14, 1934 2,067,102 Simon Jan. 5, 1937 2,090,122 Hicks Aug.17, 1937 2,177,173 Dadson Oct. 24, 1939

